Alternatives to Lexis Westlaw Sue Altmeyer c 2010

Alternatives to Lexis & Westlaw Sue Altmeyer c 2010

Topics Covered l Lexis/WL Costs - briefly l Stripped Down Versions of Lexis/WL l Topic Specific Databases – BNA, CCH l Free Internet Sources l Library Sources

• Data from a Local Law Firm, 2008

2010 Westlaw Law Firm Costs File/Services Hourly (Per Minute) All Federal Cases $19. 05 Ohio State and Federal Cases $23. 08 Transactional (Per Search) Sixth Circuit Cases $8. 60 All Ohio Cases $8. 60 Get a Document/Find 14. 00 (primary), $24. 00 (secondary) Keycite $6. 25

Low Cost Databases

Stripped down versions of Lexis/WL l Casemaker –Free w/ free student OSBA membership l Fastcase – Free w/ Cleve bar membership l Lois Law – C-M has - Instructions for password l Versus Law – Free to Law students

Stripped Down Versions of Lexis/WL Links to these four databases on the library’s Electronic Resources page Have primary sources – cases, statutes, regulations for states and federal

Stripped Down Versions of Lexis/WL What does Lexis/Westlaw have these do not? l Editorial features – headnotes, annotations l Practice Books (except Loislaw) l Law Review articles l Better search mechanisms and coverage

Contents Unanno Cases Unanno Statutes w/o Regs Headnotes “Shepard’s Other –Like Feature” Loislaw Yes – Yes Ohio unreported 1997 - Yes Treatises, Forms, Public Records (depends on plan) Case Yes maker Yes – Yes Ohio unreported 1981 - Yes Some Jurisdictions Jury Instruc. , Jury Verdicts, More

Contents Unanno Statutes Cases w/o Headnotes Unanno “Shepard’s –Like Regs Feature” Fastcase Internet Fed App 1924 -, Mostly Yes links for 8 Ohio 1950 -, Internet states Ohio unreported Links 2000 -. Coverage Versuslaw See help, Content/ Features Fed if pay Ohio 1950 -. Fed if Yes more, no Ohio unreported pay state 1995 -. more, no State Older Fed District More $

Comparison of Fedl Ct Coverage Supreme Circuit District Loislaw 1754 - Case maker 1754 - 1929 Selected Unreported 1921200718791932 - Fastcase 1754 - 1924 - Versus. Law 1886 - Varies, pay 1930 -, 1981 - more. About 1940 - 1912 -

Research Question l Bob works as a baggage handler for Midwest Airlines. He missed a lot of work, due to his alcoholism. Midwest fired him for violation of the attendance policy. Does Bob have a claim against his employer based on the Americans with Disabilities Act?

Casemaker Search Syntax Search on Casemaker= l alcohol* ada (absenteeism, attendance) Could also do: l alcohol* (ada or “americans with disabilities act) (absenteeism, attendance)

Loislaw

Searching Boolean Natural Language Fields Search databases together Yes - near 2 No Yes Casemaker Yes - w/n, No w/sent, w/para Yes Fed together, State CASES together Loislaw

Special Feature of Loislaw “ MY SAVED SEARCHES”!

Searching Boolean Natural Fields Language Search databases together Fastcase Yes - w/n Yes Versus Law Yes - w/n Yes 4 fields, default see help connector is ADJ Date, cite look-up only For addtl fee

Practice Area Specific Databases

Primary & Secondary – Specific Subjects l BNA l CCH l RIA Checkpoint l See Electronic Resources page for links. l NOT low cost, but not charged back to clients

BNA l Current Awareness PLUS l Libraries: Primary & Secondary Sources

BNA Current Awareness l Articles, cases l May contain past 12 years l ex. U. S. Law Week/Supreme Court Today ; Daily Labor Report (DLR expensive!). l Sign up for BNA Current Awareness Services

BNA Libraries l Cases, statutes, regs l Practice books l Forms l ex. Labor and Employment Law Library , Intellectual Property Library or ABA/BNA Lawyers' Manual on Professional Conduct

CCH Intelliconnect l Both Primary and Secondary Sources l Topics Covered: Antitrust Banking Corporate Governance Health Care and Medicaid/Medicare Labor & Employment, Pensions Securities

CCH l Boolean searching, w/n etc. l Federated Searching l Indexes l Current awareness emails – Sign up Instructions l Known for their fifty state charts

Free Internet

Benefits of Low Cost Databases Over Free Internet l Better Search Mechanisms l Coverage l May be more current l Trustworthiness l Aggregated Info – One stop shopping

What’s on the Free Web l All US Supreme Court Cases l Reported Federal Appellate from 1882 l Some Unreported Fed App, Fed District l State cases: reported – 1950 unreported: early-mid nineties

What’s on the Free Web, contd l Statutes & Regulations- federal and states l Municipal Ordinances l Law Review Articles l Forms l Dockets, Briefs & Pleadings l LOTS more!

Start with a Good Internet Portal • From the Library Home Page – Legal Research on the Web • Public Records & People Finders • Cornell Legal Information Institute (LII) • Find. Law • Other Portals

American Law Sources Online

Use LEGAL Search Engines l Cornell University Legal Research Engine l Lexis. Web l Find. Law. Crawler l Justia l List of Search Legal Engines

• Try with ADA example

Case law • Legal Research Workstation - Case Law • Google Scholar – state reported 1950 -, fed circuit/ district 1923 • Ohio Supreme Court • Lexis. One – Last 10 yrs, Lexis searching • Public Library of Law - boolean • Open Jurist – fed reported appellate 1882 -

• Demo Ohio Supreme Court case search

Evaluating Web Sites l Credibility: author; possible bias, accuracy. l Currency / Updating, Coverage l Writing Quality l Ease of use – Design, navigation, searchability, help l Stability

Sites with More Credibility l Government Sites l Site from a Legal Publisher, ex. Findlaw, Lexis. One l Bar Association

Gov’t Sites for Research Question l Equal Employment Opportunity Commission – EEOC l A-Z Index of U. S. Government Depts. & Agencies l E-CFR – current to last Federal Register, one day or so

Web Sites to Know • • C-M Guide Forms & Practice Materials Thomas. gov – Federal Legislative History PACER – Federal Court dockets LLRX to find state court dockets GPO Access – Fed’l Govt. will be FDSys Martindale Hubbell Law Digest Ohio Supreme Court

Library Resources l C-M - Lexis Academic l Cleveland Public - Ohio Westlaw l Pro se Lexis - Justice Center l County Law Libraries – may charge fee to use computer. Lexis, Westlaw or both

Conclusion Start with one of these to save money: l Low cost alternatives to Lexis and WL l BNA, CCH l Free Web, but be aware of limitations l Print materials at your employers’ l Books and databases at the library

E-Handout l http: //www. law. csuohio. edu/lawlibrary/re sources/lawpubs/alternativeslexiswl. html